Changing the Conversation: Phase One

A message from next year’s ASWSU President and Vice President:

We could not be more honored to serve the students of Washington State University as the 2017-2018 ASWSU President and Vice President. To be elected by our peers into these positions was a humbling experience and a responsibility that we do not take lightly. We are eager to accomplish our platform pillars of increasing transparency, building community, promoting academics,and ensuring safety as well as work towards addressing issues we heard on the campaign trail. Our administration hopes to build on the foundation of past student leaders, evaluate the purpose and effectiveness of our organization, and ‘Change the Conversation’ of ASWSU to be a more inclusive, transparent, and high functioning organization that serves all students of WSU.

This document is the first of three ‘Changing the Conversation’ Action Plans. With transparency being a top priority of our administration, we will work towards constantly updating the student body on our goals, progress, and current initiatives. The following are tasks, projects, and goals the Frost-Kalt administration will accomplish during the summer of our term.

Sincerely,

Jordan Frost and Garrett KaltASWSU President and Vice President

Transparency:

Hire Executive Staff: The first task of our administration was to assemble a diverse, knowledgeable and skilled Executive Staff to assist us in completing our platform and serving the student body. Our hiring committee selected 13 individuals with the highest scores in our comprehensive application process which included written submissions and an interview. The selected executive staff members are transitioning into their prospective roles and will partake in leadership development activities this summer.

Create and Release “Changing the Conversation: Phase One” Action Plan: This document is the first of three ‘Changing the Conversation’ Action Plans. With transparency being a top priority of our administration, we will work towards constantly updating the student body on our goals, progress, and current initiatives.

Complete an Internal Structure Review of ASWSU: As the government of the student body, ASWSU is responsible for being a voice, advocate, and resource for all students. As we prepare for the year, we will be reviewing the effectiveness of our organization as we hope to enhance the infrastructure for a successful academic year and administrations to come. We will be compiling a running list of areas of improvement and share them with bodies of our organization, such as ASWSU Senate, in hopes of implementing long lasting organizational changes.

Begin creating the “Crimson Book,” an ASWSU Ops Manual: ASWSU is a large organization with numerous leadership roles, subgroups, and bodies of governance. We will create an internal operations manual to ensure sustainability of our organization as well as give all students who are part of it, the information and tools needed to be successful in their roles.

Increase ASWSU Social Media Following by 1500: Many students are unaware of ASWSU and how our organization can serve as a resource and advocate. To assist in communicating our work as well as be connected with more students, we strive to obtain at least 500 more followers on Twitter and at least more 1000 likes on Facebook. We strive to constantly be connected to the student body and social media is one method of achieving this goal.

Release ASWSU University and Executive Committee Applications: In an effort give students more opportunities to get involved on campus and within our organization, we will be creating applications for students to serve on various university committees as well as executive committee’s within ASWSU. These committee applications will be published on our social media outlets and prompted during Alive! Sessions.

Improve Knowledge and Awareness Surrounding Student Fees: We will meet with the Directors of each department that collect student fees to fully understand their budgets and what programs/resources student fees are supporting. This will help us better connect students to resources and understand our key advocacy areas. With a better understanding, we can have conversations about where students dollars should be spent in the future and whether or not to continue fees at their current level into the future.

Create and Release “Changing the Conversation: Phase Two” Action Plan: With the phase one action plan outlining goals and objectives for the summer, we will create a phase two action plan that will serve as a strategic plan for our administration to achieve specific platform items during the academic year.

Community:

Be Present at All Alive! Sessions this Summer: We have made the commitment to be present in Pullman the entire summer. Along with select members of our staff, we will be present at each and every Alive! Session to meet and educate new members of our Cougar Community. We will be giving a speech at each session in front of every attendee and plan on having a table/booth at the resource fair. During these sessions we will introduce ASWSU to new students, grow our social media presence, and distribute ASWSU Committee applications.

Establish Partnerships with Campus and Community Leaders: Throughout the summer we will regularly meet with students, University Administrators, various departments, the Pullman Chamber of Commerce, the Pullman City Council, and other partners to collaborate and begin the discussion on several projects for the upcoming year.

Visit each WSU Campus and Collaborate with ASUI Leaders: In an effort to unify as one WSU, we will visit each WSU campus across the state. During visits we will collaborate with our prospective ASWSU leaders in order to share best practices, strengthen campus partnerships, and unify the student voice. We will meet with the Associated Students of the University of Idaho leaders to accomplish similar objectives.

Submit Request for New Water Bottle Refill Stations in the CUB: The Compton Union Building is the hub of student life. In an effort to improve campus sustainability and promote student health, we will request for new water bottle refill stations to be installed.

Academics:

Meet with All Academic Deans: Collaboration is key. We will outreach to each academic dean in hopes of obtaining a deeper understanding of what each department has to offer students, how we can collaborate on improving student services, and opportunities for student engagement within their colleges.

Evaluate Readership Program: Our current readership program on campus provides students with copies of the New York Times, US Today, and Spokesman Review. Recognizing the importance of being aware in an ever changing global society, we will explore new and innovative platforms for student engagement such as online access.

Safety:

Collaborate and Review Moratorium with IFC and PAN Leadership: Last semester, IFC and PAN Leadership released a ‘Post-Moratorium Community Action Plan’ with the purpose of addressing four key issues: sexual violence, alcohol and drug abuse, mental health, and serious incidents. We will meet with leadership within these communities and discuss ways in which ASWSU can partner/assist in making our Cougar community safe for all students.

Meet with Local Safety Leaders: In an effort to become more knowledgeable about our community and safety concerns, we will meet with Pullman PD, WSUPD, Health and Wellness Services, the Office of Equal Opportunity, and the Office of Student Conduct.

Begin Projects to Improve Lighting and Crosswalk Safety on Campus: Aware that sections of our campus are inadequately lit, we will work towards identifying areas in which lighting needs to be improved and research the feasibility of switching our amber lights to more energy efficient and effective white lights. Additionally, we will work with facilities to add crosswalk lights where they are currently missing.

Collaborate with Office of Equal Opportunity to Complete Violence Prevention Website Revision: Last semester, ASWSU Senate unanimously passed R46-22: Resolution in Support of Improving WSU Sex and Gender Based Violence Website. We will continue our collaborative efforts with the WSU Office of Equal Opportunity to make the website more comprehensive and user-friendly.

The Associated Students of Washington State University is here to support, advocate, and listen. Please reach out with any comments or suggestions you may have on how we should move forward with these identified initiatives.

If you are interested in collaborating on any of these action items or have any questions, please contact us or stop by our office in CUB 314.